Grow with Warsaw: How to build housing estates in Warsaw

The GROW with WARSAW workshops are organized by the Office of Architecture and Spatial Planning, the Economic Development Office of the City of Warsaw, and the Urban Land Institute Poland.

During the fifth out of six Grow with Warsaw meetings of the representatives of the City of Warsaw and real estate industry we talked about the future of the housing market in Warsaw.

Investors were particularly interested in the subject of Local Urban Standards as Warsaw’s response to the introduction of the new housing law nicknamed “lex deweloper”.

“The most difficult applications will be that contradictory to local plans, taking advantage of the special law. Where there are no plans, where there are unused post-production areas, we see no reason not to build housing estates, if the area is suitable for this purpose and it is possible to build a part of the multifunctional city there,” explained Marlena Happach, director of the Office of Architecture and Spatial Planning, City Architect. “We do not see a place for blocks of flats in the open field. We will guarantee good standards, conducive to the healthy development of the city.”

The city has also talked about an initiative to implement housing projects together with private partners. Piotr Sawicki, director of the Economic Development Office of the Municipal Office of the Capital City of Warsaw, said: “We are preparing attractive urban areas in Warsaw for new investments that we plan to implement in cooperation with the market. We will strengthen the use of the PPP formula and concessions in urban-private projects. As a result, new real estate will enter the market, which is especially important in the situation of decreasing supply of land. However, the local government will be able to pursue public goals with the co-financing of the market.”

David Brodersen, a member of the Executive Committee of ULI Poland, spoke about the cooperation of cities in the West of Europe with private investors in the housing market. He showed how Warsaw could be inspired by the actions of Leipzig and Luxembourg when it comes to creating joint housing projects with private partners (based on ULI experience).

“Warsaw is at a special point of development. We predict that changes related to the natural development of the Polish capital will accelerate in the coming years. Not only will more young people arrive, with more jobs for them, and modern solutions that improve the quality of life. There will also be other trends. Warsaw, like the cities of Western Europe, will grow old. Besides, there will be migrants – both from other parts of Poland and those from abroad. All these phenomena should be taken into account when planning the development of the city, including housing investments. One cannot forget about the needs of seniors and students.”

David Brodersen, ULI Poland Executive Committee

The English and Polish language reports from the workshop on the residential market in Warsaw can be downloaded below: